An action-comedy movie from this year starring Mark Hamill becomes a big hit on Netflix four months after it bombed at the box office.

Summary

• Despite its initial box office failure and critical panning, The Machine is now a big hit on Netflix, ranking 7th in the Global Top 10.
• The movie's poor performance in theaters was largely due to tough competition during Memorial Day weekend.
• Although critics disliked the film, audiences appreciate its over-the-top action comedy, leading to a strong 87 percent audience score and success on Netflix.

The Machine becomes a big hit on Netflix four months after it bombed at the box office. Based on Bert Kreischer's viral stand-up routine, the 2023 action-comedy stars the comedian as a fictionalized version of himself and Mark Hamill as Bert's father, and follows their adventures after they are kidnapped by Russian mobsters whom Bert drunkenly wronged 20 years prior. Released in theaters on May 26, The Machine was a box office bomb that grossed only $10 million and failed to make back its budget of $20 million.

Now, four months after The Machine bombed at the box office, the action-comedy is now a big hit on Netflix. For the week of September 25 to October 1, The Machine received 5.7 million viewing hours and 3.1 million total views, ranking 7th on the charts and marking its first week in Netflix's Global Top 10.

Why The Machine Bombed In Theaters

The Machine got off to a bad start at the box office with a $5 million opening weekend. However, this was less of an indictment of the movie and more of a result of the crowded competition it faced on Memorial Day weekend, which included Disney's The Little Mermaid, Gerald Butler's Kandahar, Robert De Niro's About My Father, and A24's You Hurt My Feelings. However, The Machine didn't fare much better in its second weekend as its take declined 66 percent to $1.7 million and finished in eighth place at the box office.

In addition to being a box office bomb, The Machine was panned by critics as a messy and lethargic movie, resulting in a 32 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the film flopped in theaters, the few who did see it appreciated its over-the-top action comedy, resulting in a much stronger 87 percent audience score. This momentum appears to be carrying over to Netflix, where subscribers are appreciating The Machine for its silly fun.

Source: Netflix